The First Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Organ Competition is hosted jointly by Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Oriental Art Center, with purposes of encouraging and recognizing talented young organists around the world, enhancing public awareness and interest for pipe organs and organ music, and promoting international collaborations among various organizations in the organ field. This Competition will be charged and managed by the competition committee (“Committee”).

15:00-16:30Ladd ThomasHymn Performance

14th Sep

9:00-10:30Ladd ThomasOrgan Music in the Church II

15th Sep

9:00-10:30Ladd ThomasGerman Romantic - from Mendelssohn to Reger

16th Sep

11:00-12:30Ladd ThomasDevelopment of French Romanticism

13:00-14:30Thierry MechlerBaroque Series II：Improvisation on the Themes of Bach

15:30-17:00Cherry RhodesThe Organ Symphony

17th Sep

10:00-11:30Jos van der KooyArt of Improvisation

13:00-14:30Jürgen KursawaBaroque Series III：Spirit of Germany Music

15:00-16:30David HamiltonThe Harmony of Keyboard

Competition

14th Sep

10:45-16:00First Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Organ Competition 2017 Final First Round

15th Sep

10:45-16:00First Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Organ Competition 2017 Final Second Round

Prizes

1

1stPLACE6,000 USD

2

2ndPLACE4,000 USD

3

3rdPLACE3,000 USD

4

4thPLACE1,000 USD

5

5thPLACE1,000 USD

6

6thPLACE1,000 USD

* The amount of the prize is pre-tax amount. The committee will withhold any tax that the committee is required with respect to such prize, such as value added tax. The participant shall be responsible for all tax consequence associated with the prize, including income tax. *

Competition Rules

1. Eligibility

Participants are limited to individuals who were born between September 14, 1982 and September 14, 1999 (18 to 35 years old). The competition will consist of one preliminary round and two final rounds.

2. Important dates

The deadline for submitting all preliminary round application materials is May 19, 2017 (the application shall be deemed submitted until the Committee receives all the required application materials); the two final rounds of the competition will be open to the public at Shanghai Oriental Art Center on September 14-15, 2017.

3. Performance Rights

Participants acknowledge and agree that this competition may be recorded, broadcast on international radio and television, or retransmitted over the Internet by the Committee without any financial compensation to the participants. Participants are therefore expected to relinquish all broadcast and recording rights of all kinds, as well as the ensuing rights, for an indefinite period. The Committee may photograph, record and film the competitors for advertising and promotional purposes. By signing the application form, the participants agree to release their rights to future use of all photographs, recording (including the preliminary round recording) and filming of their performances.

4. Organ Specifications and Practice Time

Adequate memory levels and at least 6 hours of practice time will be given to the six finalist prior to the competition.

The organ for the final competition at Shanghai Oriental Art Center was completed by Rieger in 2005. The 88-rank 5-manual instrument with sequencer is one of the biggest organs in China. Please find the stop list and more information at: www.rieger-orgelbau.com。

5. Memorization and Page Turner

Memorization is not required and will not influence the decision of the judges. A page turner will be provided for the live competition performance, if required.

7. Music Score and Copyrights

Competitors may use music scores during the performance. The use of photocopies of scores in public domain (copyright before 1923) is acceptable. The use of photocopied or other illegally reproduced copyrighted scores without the written permission of the copyright holder is prohibited and will disqualify a competitor from participation in the competition. Exceptions to this rule apply only to reductions for performance and to pages duplicated for the purpose of facilitating page turns.

Jury information

AN AUDITION JURY CONSISTING OF NINE INTERNATIONALLY-KNOWN ORGANISTS WHO ARE FROM CHINA EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICAN WILL ADJUDICATE THE TWO FINAL ROUNDS OF THE COMPETITION.

SIX (6) PARTICIPANTS WILL BE SELECTED FOR THE TWO FINAL ROUNDS IN SHANGHAI. ALL FINALISTS WILL PERFORM FOR BOTH TWO LIVE ROUNDS AT SHANGHAI ORIENTAL ART CENTER.

The First Live Round.

Time limit for the first final round is 40 minutes including breaks between pieces.

1）A major work of J.S. Bach.i.e. Prelude/Fantasy/Toccata and Fugue, OR multi-movement Concerto.

2）A Choral by César Franck.(E Major, B Minor or A Minor)

3）A freely-selected work (or movement) composed in the 20th or 21st Century.

The Second Live Round

Time limit for the second final round is 45 minutes including breaks between pieces.

1）A major work of J.S. Bach (should be a different Bach work than the piece chosen for the First Live Round)

2）A freely-selected work (or movement) composed in the 19th Century.

3）A freely-selected work (or movement) composed after 1930.

4）An additional work/movement of the competitor's choosing, of any style or period.

Application

The registration fee is free. Please read full document of rules and repertoire, and ensure the following materials are received by May 19, 2017.

1. Three copies of the recorded preliminary round repertoire (compact discs).

a. The audio recording should be clearly labelled with the candidate’s family name, first name and date and place of recording. Such recording should also be accompanied by a note listing the composition of the instrument(s) used in the recording.
b. The recording should include only the specified program which must be complete performances of the works without any editing.
c. A witness (member of a professional body, member of the clergy, or a municipal official) must sign the registration form attesting that the recording is truly the candidate’s work and has not been edited.